


Worth Promising

by Bloody_Destination



Series: Dark Ace Series of Connected Drabbles [9]
Category: Storm Hawks (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Original Storm Hawks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-07-10 09:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloody_Destination/pseuds/Bloody_Destination
Summary: The Battle to End All Battles comes and goes.





	Worth Promising

Ace holds a red Crystals in his hand. The larger one, he leaves on the ship, hidden in a compartment on the engine. But this one, the smaller one that fits in the palm of his hand, the same shade as the eyes reflected in its clear surface. It’s so warm, so full of energy, a gift from his sister and a curse placed on him by his blood.

Atmos is calling this the ‘Battle to End All Battle’ and Ace knows it’s going to be, but not in the way the rest of the free Atmos thinks it to end. The Sky Knights are so close to victory, on Cyclonia’s doorstep. It’s only a matter of time, Lightning had boasted, and that time has come. Ace knows it’s a trick. He’s seen how many troops lie beyond the Terra’s natural spiked peak barrier. The Talon’s are waiting to strike. The retreat is only a ploy and Ace is the trigger.

He pockets the stone before the rest of the Storm Hawks walk through the hanger doors. They all have relieved looks, finally ready for the end of this war. He hates what he is about to do to them. They took him in, treated him like family and in return, he’s going to stab them in the back, tear them apart and leave them for dead. But its too late to go back now, because there are hundreds of troops ready beyond the border. Whether he betrays his family or not, it won’t matter, because they will still be taken by surprise and possible die anyway and Ace will have lost both this family and the one beyond Cyclonia’s borders.

Lightning ruffles his hair, “This is it, Ace. Finally. We’re going home after this. I was thinking…”

That dopy grin makes its way onto Lightnings face and Ace can’t help but to ask, “What?”

“I was thinking setting down roots on a Terra to the west. You remember the one with the goat farmer?”

Ace laughs, then sobs, but plays it off as if he was coughing, “If I remember correctly, the goats didn’t like you.”

Lightning pats him on the back, “Yeah, but I think Aerrow and Mimi would like it. They farmer said he was interested in selling and Aerrow can have an entire Terra to explore, away from the crowds. Mimi thinks it’s a great idea. Plus, you both can have your own room now.”

“You’re hopeless, you know that, Lightning.” The man smiles down at him as he takes his place on the skimmer.

“I was also hoping, that, well…” What ever it is he wants to say, it has him stuttering, “I was hoping…that you would be-uh, if you wanted to-I mean-of course you don’t have to-,”

Ace jabs him in the side with a roll of his eyes, “Out with it.”

“You are a son to me, Ace. Both to myself and to Mimi. We love you and if you aren’t opposed to it, I would like it if you called me dad?” Ace can only stare back at him, even as the man ducks his head, face and neck turning red.

He can’t help it, doesn’t even try to stop it as he feels his face getting blotchy and tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. He rubs at them furiously. Why did he have to do this now? Why couldn’t he have waited till after the battle was over so that Ace wouldn’t have had to hear it. He’s all too aware of Lightning’s arms around him, shushing him.

“You’re such an idiot.” He whines at the man, but holds on tightly and then silently, “I wish you were my dad.”

He thinks of the cold man with red eyes, the one more closely associated with the name ‘Master Cyclonis’ than with the word ‘dad.’

“No matter what happens after today, you’ll always be my dad.” He’s only burying himself deeper but he’s finally able to voice his thoughts, thoughts he will never have another chance to say after today, “I love you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Ace, hey, stop. It’s okay. You have nothing to apologies for.” He really hates himself, hopes his plans fail, or even dies along with the Sky Knights he plans on betraying.

All too soon, the signal to start the attack is going over the radio and the hanger doors are opening. The Storm Hawks lead the charge and before they’ve even left the hanger, Lightning is already getting up from the seat and Ace is quick on his heels, jumping from the side car to the pilot’s chair and Lightning is on the wing. He’s charged blue and the first to attack with his signature _Lightning Strike_ attack.

The battle is going in their favor as they near the hundreds of Talons hidden in wait, ready to strike when the time is right. Ace takes this moment, as Lightning is soaring through the sky on his endless energy, to admire this man. To look around and see the hundreds of Sky Knight squadrons, all united under one man. No one else is, or will ever be, like Lightning and Ace is the one who is about to take this man away from the world, all because of his selfishness.

He looks behind the skimmer he’s piloted a hundred different times in a hundred different battles and see Nymbus, flying in intricate loops that have Talons flying into each other by mistake, not even firing off a single shot and still taking down countless enemies.

Wing is just behind him, picking off the ones Nymbus hasn’t seemed to trick into firing on allies. He’s too fast to even be shot at, for anyone to actually aim before he’s on them and taking them down in the blink of an eyes. It’s a great counter to Emala’s own slow going Helescooter. She’s agile on the small craft but too slow and Nymbus and Wing distract while she does the real attacking. Her staff can take out up to five skimmers at a time and it shows as she plows through opponents with ease.

Mick is a show off, brandishing his war hammer in close combat where close combat shouldn’t be an option. It goes to show he’s just as good of a flier as he is a strong man. He winks and flirt and shouts with joy as he pushes through enemy lines.

The other Squadrons around them feed off the Storm Hawks’ energy and make it their own. The fight is going too good to be true and yet no one has caught on yet and when Lightning finally lands back on the wing of the skimmer, Ace knows it already too late, even if someone did find the small number of enemies suspicious.

So close to the Cyclonian Terra, it should have been obvious they were being led, but it’s too late and Ace has purposely flown their skimmer league away from the other Sky Knights, yet another thing that should have been suspicious. Ace has only been fired upon twice and not even accurately. If anyone were to look closer, they would have realized Ace wasn’t a target.

Ace jerks the controls suddenly sending Lightning off guard and looking around for what could have caused the sudden jostling. Enough of a distraction that Ace has his energy blade in his hand, active and ready to strike. He freezes for only a minute as he looks up at that imposing figure.

It’s been so long since he first met this man, the man who promised to help him find his family. And he did. He found his family in a bright smile and red hair. He found his family in a woman that cried whenever he threatened to drop out of school. He found his family in a little boy that calls him big brother and a fur ball that hates being called pet. He looks around him and see his aunts and uncles. Friends he’s made along the way.

He looks at the man, bigger than the sky and see his dad.

Then that minute is up, and Lightning starts to turn towards Ace and Ace needs him to see. Needs him to know that it was Ace who did this because he doesn’t deserve anonymity from the man he is betraying. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness.

When those moss green eyes lock with the blood in his, his arm swings up and Lightning doesn’t block, doesn’t even move. The second feels like eternity as the blade cuts into his chest, ripping past metal and fabric. Through all this, Lightning doesn’t make a sound, but a dulled grunt, stagers back. Not once does he lift his eyes from Ace’s.

“A-Ace?” And then he’s falling, that look of betrayal never leaving his eyes, and Ace watches him until the Wasteland’s clouds swallow him from view.

There is almost complete silence on the battle field when Ace finally looks back towards the Sky Knights, all too far away to have done anything but watch as their revered leader was betrayed by his co-pilot. One of their own. Ace takes the blue Crystal from his energy blade, a gift from Mick when he finally graduated from the practically useless training Crystal. He can’t bare to throw it away, so he pockets the little Crystal and replaces is with the red of Lark’s gift.

He knows what this is going to do, and it tears him apart as he raises the energy blade, glowing red and breaking him inside. With a downward strike, a powerful wave surges through the ranks of Sky Knight and Talons alike, crippling the equipment and downing dozens of skimmers and helescooters. Many retreat to the safety of their battle carriers before their rides give out all together.

But only one battle carrier is affected. Within the engine of the Condor, the Crystal reacts to Ace’s energy blades electric field and in turn, the Condor’s engine over powers and shuts down. He can only imagine the fear Joshi must be going through as the giant carrier begins to sink and the Storm Hawks have no where to retreat to, even as they try to follow their ship down, to do anything to stop the horror they must be going through.

It is to the sight of the rotors to Emala’s helescooter finally shutting down that Ace can’t look anymore. He finally turns away, returning to the seat of the skimmer and begins to fly deeper into Cyclonian territory. As he goes, an army of Talons come out of hiding and swarming on the panicking Sky Knight and the sound of retreat echoes in his ears.

Master Cyclonis is waiting for him at the doorway of the hanger, a predatory smile and narrowed eyes as Ace’s welcome, “Well done, Ace.”

He can’t meet this man’s gaze. He follows silently when Master Cyclonis leads him on a familiar journey through dark hallways. He stops at the open double doors. The man makes no move to go in with him. He takes a deep breath and walks forward, and the doors close behind him.

“You’ve returned victorious, child.” Master Anarchis says to him when he stops at the bottom of the imposing steps to the throne, “Kneel, boy.”

He doesn’t hesitate. The fight is out of him and he didn’t die. He’d hoped he would, but he didn’t and now he has to live with all that he’d done. He doesn’t want to though, but it’s what he deserves. He’ll be paying penance for the rest of his life.

“You’ve done well. Far surpassing your weakling of a father and clearly a mirror into the future of what your sister will accomplish.” It takes him a moment to realize that she is praising him, and he hates her for it, “From this day forward, you will be known as Cyclonia’s Dark Ace. Wear this name proudly, for you have won all of Atmos in the name of Cyclonia and have given Lark the guarantee you promised her.”

He kept his promise and he was going to make it worth it, because it has to be worth it for all that he has sacrificed.


End file.
